Let's Go Home
by Isabeau1
Summary: Five times Nod saved Ronin (mostly unintentionally), and one time Ronin saved Nod (one of many anyway).
1. One: Nod needs dinner

**One: Nod needs dinner**

Soren was dead. Soren, who he had grown up with, who he had gone through basic training with, who had received his officer's commission at the same time as him, his second in command, his best friend, was dead.

Every time his mind stumbled across that fact, he felt like he had been stabbed in the gut. His breath caught in his throat and his chest felt tight. It was a very unpleasant feeling, and in the hopes of avoiding it, he had been attempting to not give himself any time to think about anything.

His office had never been cleaner, but he was starting to run out of paperwork to do.

"Sir?"

Ronin looked up from the day's patrol reports to see Finn standing in the doorway, helmet tucked under his arm.

"I'm heading out," Finn informed him.

"I'll see you tomorrow," Ronin went back to his reports.

"It's really late, sir," Finn said, his voice carefully neutral.

Finn was not new to being a captain, and he was not new to working with Ronin, but he was new to the position of second in command, and he was treading lightly. Not so lightly that he wasn't willing to try and nudge his commanding officer into getting some much needed rest.

"I know," Ronin said without looking up.

"Alright," Finn gave a wave and left, not willing to push just yet.

Ronin wasn't sure how long he sat there before he suddenly became aware of another presence. He lifted his head to find a filthy, bedraggled little boy standing in his doorway.

"I'm hungry," Nod said without preamble.

He was covered head to toe in mud, and one of his pant legs was torn. His hair stuck out in every direction, and there was an assortment of bracken tangled in it. His shirt might have been green once.

"What have you been rolling in?" Ronin asked.

"I want dinner," Nod informed him petulantly.

There was a healer staying with Nod and his mother. They didn't quite trust Lysette to be alone at the moment. In theory, the healer was keeping an eye on Nod as well, but he was an… active child, and most of the time she couldn't both monitor Lysette and keep track of him.

"Let's go get dinner then," Ronin pushed back his chair and stood, ignoring the way his back cracked in protest of sitting so long, "and maybe a bath."

"I don't need a bath," Nod scowled at him, but didn't resist when he took his hand.

"Trust me, you do," Ronin was fairly sure he had a change of clothes for the boy at his apartment; this wasn't the first time he had been over since Soren…

He hadn't realized he was squeezing Nod's hand until Nod used two hands to try and squeeze back with equal pressure. He gave the boy an amused look and lifted his arm, letting him dangle from his wrist.

"That's cheating," Nod giggled.

"Soldiers never cheat," Ronin told him with mock sternness, "they strategize."

Nod laughed and swung his feet until Ronin put him down, but he didn't let go of Ronin's hand, and for all that the boy's hand was ridiculously sticky, Ronin wouldn't have wanted him to.

Ronin paused in front of one of the hall guards on their way out, "can you send a message to Lysette and let her know Nod is staying with me tonight?"

The guard nodded, and Ronin knew Lysette wouldn't really hear the message, but at least the healer would know Nod was safe for the night and not have to worry about him.

"I can stay the night?" Nod tugged on his arm in excitement.

"Sure," Ronin shrugged, "you're small enough to fit on my couch."

"Can I use your sword?" Nod gave him his best gap-toothed grin.

"No."

* * *

He probably shouldn't have given Nod a second piece of seed cake, but it had kept him still long enough to pick the bracken out of his hair, and he bribed him into the bath by promising him a game of hop-disk when he got out.

They only made it half way through the game before Nod started falling asleep. It really was late. He needed to keep a better eye on him. No one else was, and he had promised Soren he would.

For all that Soren had sometimes seemed to live his life by impulse alone, the truth was, he thought things through, he saw long term consequences as clearly as short term ones. When Lysette had gotten pregnant, Soren has asked him to take care of both his wife and child if anything happened to him.

He had promised without hesitation, thinking that it would never happen, that he would die first, because he would die to protect him, but that option had never been given to him. Lysette had withdrawn into herself, no longer able to manage the outside world, and there wasn't much Ronin could do for her beyond make sure she was cared for.

Nod, though, seemed to be responding to his father's death by seeing how far he could go before someone showed up to reel him back. Ronin could do that. It didn't take much more than the lure of dinner and the promise of a game or story, and Nod seemed to like him well enough. At the very least, he was used to him.

"Don't go," Nod latched sleepily onto his wrist as he was tucking blankets around him.

"Don't worry buddy," Ronin soothed softly, "I'm not going anywhere."

Nod snuggled his hand close as if it were a stuffed toy, and Ronin didn't have the heart to pull away. He ended up sleeping on the couch with the child tucked against his side. For the first time since Soren's death, he slept the night through without waking.

The next day Nod appeared in the doorway of his office at dinner time, slightly less disheveled and bouncing impatiently on the balls of his feet.

The day after that, Ronin went to find Nod instead.

* * *

**Author's Note:** Hop-disk is a board game similar to checkers. Ronin will teach Nod chess eventually, and long for the days when all it took was food and a game to reel him back it. Luckily, Nod does like him well enough.


	2. Two: The queen is in cahoots

**Two: The queen is in cahoots **

There was someone in the queen's inner sanctuary; Ronin was sure of it, but Tara, who should have known first, seemed wholly unaware of any threat.

"I'm not so sure that's a sign of trouble," Tara ran her fingers over a bud, and it uncurled, bright and healthy under her touch, "boggans are always more active during fall. Keep…."

She stopped abruptly, an almost feral smile on her face, and Ronin dropped his hand to his sword hilt, knowing that that smile only meant trouble.

"Got you!" she shouted and there was a squeal, followed by a very familiar laugh.

"Nod?" Ronin straightened in surprise.

Tara waved her hand and the boy dropped into view hanging upside down, a vine wrapped around his ankle holding him in mid-air, and a grin on his face.

"How did you get in here?" Ronin gapped at him, going over guard positions and duty rosters in his head; he didn't think there was anyone on guard duty who would have let Nod in.

"I climbed," Nod grinned, looking pleased with himself.

"You…" Ronin blinked, "how… where?"

"Well, aren't you clever," Tara reached up and tickled him with both hands, making him shriek and squirm with laughter.

"Your majesty," Ronin protested.

The last thing he needed was to encourage Nod to be places he wasn't supposed to be; he had enough trouble with that already.

Tara rolled her eyes with an amused smile, and waved her hand, turning Nod right side up and setting him on his feet.

"Over the top and down the wall," Tara informed Ronin, reaching out to pick a leaf out of Nod's hair.

"You climbed down the wall?" Ronin didn't mean to sound impressed, but he couldn't help it; he wasn't sure if even he would have been able to climb that, and he could climb almost anything.

"It was easy," Nod beamed at him, recognizing the praise in his tone.

"Easy?" Tara's smile became teasing and Ronin's stomach sank a little, "maybe the good general is losing his touch."

It was a difficult balance to maintain with Tara. He had known her before she had become queen. They had been friends and maybe on the way towards something else as well, but Tara's coronation had derailed that. They both had duties and obligations now that didn't leave them free to pursue their own desires.

"He is not!" Nod said with such fierceness that it startled both of them.

They both started at him, and Nod looked down at his feet, bare and dirty as usual.

"Ronin didn't…" he scuffed his foot on the ground, "it wasn't…. I just…"

Tara and Ronin exchanged looks, and Tara knelt down in from of him, touching a finger under his chin to make him look up.

"You are awfully clever," Tara smiled at him, and he smiled back like one of her flowers blooming, "I don't think we can hold that against the general, do you?"

Nod shook his head quickly.

"Maybe Ronin could use a little practice though. Would you like to help?" Tara waited for his nod, then leaned forward and began whispering in his ear.

The wider Nod's grin grew, the more Ronin knew he wasn't going to like this. The way Nod was beaming though was almost worth it.

"Well, what do you think?" Tara stood up, dusting her hands off on her skirt.

"I can do it," Nod replied eagerly.

"Good," Tara said approvingly.

Before Ronin could ask, or more likely protest, Nod darted forward and smacked him on the arm.

"Tag! You're it!" he yelled, then ran, disappearing into the thick foliage that surrounded them.

"You're just encouraging him," Ronin sighed in annoyance.

"To play?" Tara laughed, "of course I am. He is a child after all."

"He is that," Ronin agreed fondly.

"Now, general," Tara folded her hands in front of her and squared her shoulders, "there is a highly skilled intruder in my inner chamber. What do you intend to do about it?"

"I suppose I'll have to find him," Ronin held his helmet out to Tara; Nod was almost always a two handed job.

"Do you need a kiss for luck?" Tara accepted the helmet from him.

"Tara!" Ronin groaned.

"Get going or you're never going to find him," Tara laughed and made a shooing motion.

With a shake or his head, Ronin went, pushing aside the tall stalks. He would have to talk to Nod about not sneaking in again. The climb down from the open roof was difficult and dangerous. As impressive as it was, he didn't want him risking it again. He would have to talk to the guard up on the roof as well. Nod must have slid by him somehow.

He heard a muffled giggle off to his right and paused. Immediately the laugh fell silent. Nod was somewhere he could see him then. That meant he had probably found some place to perch. Ronin was careful not to look up as he headed in the direction of the giggle, listening instead for the shifting of leafs above him. It took him a good ten minutes to pin point the boy. He was being remarkably still. It was something his father had been good at as well.

Ronin found him crouched on the high leaf of a daisy stock, and managed to snag his ankle and pull him down before he knew he had been spotted.

"Nod," Ronin set him on the ground, intending to try to explain to him why he couldn't be here.

"The queen said you have to catch me five times," Nod said quickly, then was gone again.

"Nod!" Ronin tried to grab him, but he slid through his fingers.

Ronin huffed in annoyance, not with Nod, but with Tara. He knew she took her responsibilities as queen seriously, and he knew she wasn't the type to shirk or put off work, but she drove him crazy sometimes. He had things he needed to talk to her about now, not later. He just wanted to get through the business he had and be done, not put off finishing with games and teasing.

The next time, he had to pull Nod out from under a tangle of mossy fallen twigs. He pulled him out by the ankle, then scooped him up to hold so he couldn't get away again. He was almost too big for it, but he wrapped his arms and legs around Ronin anyway.

"Nod, what are you even doing here?" Ronin shifted him to support with one arm, freeing his hand to wipe a streak of dirt off his face.

"It's almost dinner time, and you weren't in your office," Nod grumbled.

"We talked about this kiddo," Ronin softened, "I can't always be there for dinner. If you're hungry you can always go home and the healer who's helping your mother will make you dinner, or you can go to the mess hall."

"I don't like it at home," Nod hid his face against Ronin's shoulder moodily.

"I know buddy," Ronin hugged him closer, "it will get better though. You just have to give it time."

Ronin really did think it would. Lysette was starting to take an interest in things again. She seemed more aware of what was going on around her, and even occasionally of where her son was, or in most cases, wasn't. It would get better, but for now, it was hard on Nod.

"Now," Ronin bounced him slightly, "aren't you supposed to be hiding."

Nod lifted his head and grinned, "you have to find me three more times."

Ronin set him on the ground, and he ran off into the plants again. If the queen wanted to spend the afternoon entertaining a child, who was he to disagree with her.

It was more than three times, and eventually, Tara started using the plants to help Nod. It was past nightfall when they finally stopped. Ronin found Nod curled up asleep on a daisy head. The daisy tipped gently down to let him scoop the boy up, and Nod snuggled into his shoulder without waking.

Tara was sitting on a mossy stone in the center of her garden waiting for them, Ronin's helmet on her lap.

"Finally caught him?" she stood with a teasing smile.

"No thanks to you," Ronin shook his head.

"Well, I have to have fun somehow," she shrugged, clearly unrepentant, and reached out to brush Nod's hair from his face. "He is a lot like his father."

"I know," Ronin nodded.

Sometimes that was a painful reminder. Nod wasn't his father, but sometimes he would say or do something that reminded him so much of Soren that it hurt. Sometimes it was hard, but Ronin was grateful for it anyway.

"We still need to talk about the patrols," Ronin reminded her.

"Tomorrow morning, no tag this time, I promise," Tara agreed, "you better get him to bed though."

"Yeah," Ronin nodded, "I need my helmet back."

"It's my job to take care of you too Ronin," Tara laughed softly and put his helmet on his head, "you're too serious. You need to play more."

"I don't…" Ronin started in exasperation.

"Good night general," Tara kissed his cheek, effectively silencing him, "I'll see you tomorrow."

She walked away, leaving him sputtering and bright red.

"That woman is going to be the death of me," he muttered when he found his voice again.

"Can't catch me," Nod muttering in his sleep.

"How about I just don't let you go kiddo," Ronin laughed softy and turned to take Nod home.


	3. Three: Nightlight

**Three: Nightlight  
**

Ronin nudged open the door to Nod's room as quietly as he could. Nod was usually a sound sleeper, but not always. Some nights his sleep was feather light, and he woke at every sound until he finally gave up and went to find something better to do. Those were the mornings that Ronin would fine him sleeping on the couch or slumped against the railing of the balcony.

Nod didn't even stir. He was curled on his side, blanket tangled around his knees and face hidden in the crook of his arm. Even in the dim light from the hall, Ronin could see the last remnants of bruising on his arm. It had been a few days before Finn found time to tell him that Nod had been the only one who had managed to break through the swarm of bats and stay on Mandrake's tail. He had, in fact, not left his group; his group really couldn't keep up this time.

He had emerged somewhat worse for wear and had punched Ronin in the arm rather viciously when he had pressed him about it. Which had hurt, actually. Ronin was a lot worse for wear, and unlike Nod, hadn't been cleared for active duty yet, although he had managed to pester the head healer into releasing him to deal with administration.

There was a lot of administration to deal with. They had lost far too many Leafmen, and even more were wounded and not cleared for duty. Most of their recruits weren't ready to be out in the field yet, and they were short the officers they needed to supervise them. To keep everything together required some creative shuffling.

Despite Nod being the one on active duty, he'd been home before Ronin every night this week, home and asleep, in fact. Every night Ronin had checked, peered through the door to make sure Nod was home and safe.

He trusted Nod's commanding officer. He trusted all his captains, or they wouldn't hold their rank, but Terrance was particularly good with pain in the ass young privates. He thought they were funny and possibly even a little endearing, and he had no problem knocking them on their backsides when they needed it. Nod fell firmly in the category of soldiers Terrance dealt with well.

Nod had never disliked Terrance, never complained about him or hinted that he wanted to transfer. It was one of the reasons it had caught Ronin off guard when Nod had quit, but then, maybe that hadn't been the problem after all, and he just hadn't been paying attention.

Nod muttered fitfully in his sleep, rolling to his other side, his blanket sliding off the bed. Ronin hesitated in the doorway. He would probably wake him if he covered him, and then he'd have to explain why he was there, but maybe that wasn't such a bad thing.

They used to talk. Nod used to tell him when something was bothering him, but somehow that had stopped. Maybe it needed to start again, because he didn't want any more surprises. He didn't want to wake up one day and find that Nod was gone and have no idea why.

Ronin picked up the blanket and pulled it back over him. For a moment it looked as if he would stay asleep, but just as Ronin was pulling his hand away, Nod woke and blinked up at him owlishly.

"Ronin?" Nod yawned so wide his jaw cracked and rolled onto his back so he could see him, "what are you doing still up?"

"I just got home," Ronin said softly, hoping Nod would go back to sleep, "you kicked your covers off again."

"Glory's going to take you back off duty if you keep working this late," Nod pushed himself up, giving Ronin a sleepy glare.

"Glory has better things to do," Ronin shrugged.

"How can you sit and do paperwork that long?" Nod leaned back against his headboard, rubbing his eyes, "you leave at the same time I do, and you're not home until after dark, and you don't even stop to eat."

"How do you know that?" Ronin asked, somewhat puzzled that Nod would even bother to find something like that out.

"Finn says he has to force feed you lunch because you're a stubborn, thick skulled, pig-headed idiot," despite being sleepy, Nod sounded almost angry.

"Finn did not say that," Ronin sat on the edge of the bed. He would have actually liked to have heard Finn say that; he wasn't sure he would have been able to keep a straight face if he did.

"Maybe not in those exact words," Nod admitted, "but he meant it."

Ronin laughed softly, because he probably had, "I should probably give Finn some leave soon."

"Oh, you think?" Nod said sourly.

"Mm-hm," Ronin yawned and stretched, "maybe after I'm back on active duty."

"You'd be back on active duty faster if you actually slept," Nod scowled.

"You're really cranky," Ronin shook his head.

"You're really stupid," Nod countered with a huff, and slid down abruptly, turning his back to Ronin and pulling his blanket high around his shoulders.

"Hey," Ronin frowned, putting a hand on his shoulder.

Nod ignored him, burying his face in his blanket. Ronin had met his match in stubbornness with Nod, which had been an endless source of amusement for his officers, but was rarely very amusing to him. He didn't know why Nod was angry at him, but he knew if he pushed, Nod would just push back, and they wouldn't get anywhere.

"Nod?" Ronin rubbed his shoulder, feeling him tense under his hand.

"Go to bed," Nod snapped, voice muffled by his blanket.

"Isn't that usually my line?" Ronin continued to rub his hand up and down his arm.

"Yes!" Nod sat up so quickly Ronin had to lean back, "you're supposed to be smarter than this. You're supposed to… you're not supposed to…" Nod trailed off, pulling his knees up and pressing his forehead against them, "just go to bed."

Ronin shifted to lean against the headboard beside him, "come on kiddo, help me out here; I'm not understanding."

When Nod refused to answer, Ronin started rubbing circles on his back. His muscles tensed and relaxed under his hand, fine tremors that caused his shoulders to shake as if he were crying. Nod hadn't cried since before his mother's death. Ronin doubted he could do anything to actually drive him to tears, although he certainly seemed to excel at making him angry lately.

"Queen Tara is dead," Nod said finally, his voice tight and his grip white knuckled on the blanket wrapped around his knees.

"What?" Ronin's hand froze on his back.

Tara's name was enough to make his heart shudder and his chest feel tight. He had been trying not to think about her, trying to occupy himself with anything and everything so he didn't have time to remember that she was gone. Thinking about her made him feel as if he could shatter at any moment.

"She was your… she was… she was yours," Nod stumbled over his words, having trouble finding them, "and now she's gone."

Ronin frowned, but Nod was shaking under his hand, and it stopped him from snapping at him. He did not want to talk about this, and he didn't know why Nod did.

"I thought you were dead," Nod's breath hitched, "and then you weren't, but she… and you…"

"Nod," Ronin pulled his hand back to rub the bridge of his nose; he was too tired to puzzle through what Nod was trying to say. This was going to have to wait for some other time, when it didn't hurt so much and hopefully Nod was more coherent.

"Dad was mom's, and it didn't matter that she was still alive, because she wasn't really," Nod said in a rush.

Ronin went completely still. Nod rarely talked about his mother, rarely meaning not at all since her death. It took Ronin a moment to put together Nod's disjointed attempt at explaining himself, but once he did, the pieces fit together, broken though they were. Nod wasn't angry; he was scared.

"I'm sorry," Nod curled tighter into himself, breath uneven, "I didn't mean… it doesn't matter… I'm sor…"

Ronin hauled him roughly into his arms. He had told Nod practically his whole life that they were all connected, all leafs on the same tree. If that was true, then he didn't have the option of burying himself so he could hide from his grief. Nod needed him to be here.

"It's alright," Ronin tucked his head under his chin, "I've got you. I'm not going anywhere."

Nod curled into him, his trembling gradually easing and his breath evening out. Neither of them were alone, and as appealing as it sounded at times, no one survived that way, not really.

"I'm still telling Glory on you if you don't stop working so late," Nod muttering into his shoulder after he had calmed.

"Yeah," Ronin laughed and tightened his hold on him, "I'm sure if you don't, Finn will."

"Well, someone has to keep an eye on you," Nod yawned, "you don't do it yourself."

"I think you've got it covered kiddo," Ronin smiled fondly into his hair.

And that wasn't such a bad thing after all.

* * *

**Author's Note:** Yes, this one has a lot in common with the second chapter of "Both of Us." I wasn't entirely satisfied with how it played out there, but I think I might like this one better.

Glory is the head healer. I don't think that was explained very well. She puts up with soldiers all day, every day, and she knows they're all idiots. She's somewhat infamous as the only person besides the queen who can boss Ronin around. Nod occasionally uses this to his advantage.


	4. Four: Diversionary Tactics

**Four: Diversionary Tactics**

MK knew it was Ronin even before she put her helmet on. Nod never knocked; he just let himself in. She opened the window, and he flew his humming bird to a perch on the back of one of the kitchen chairs.

"Hi Ronin," MK greeted as she set her helmet on her head, "how are you?"

"Fine, thank you," Ronin dismounted, the narrow chair back not at all narrow for him, "is Nod here?"

"No," MK shook her head, "is he supposed to be?"

"No necessarily," Ronin shrugged. "I had a question for him about his scouting report. I thought he might be here."

"I haven't seen him today," Mk said, "I'll let him know you were looking for him if he stops by."

Ronin didn't come often, and he was mostly business when he showed up. Mostly business and mostly looking for Nod.

"Thank …"

Somewhere in the house there was a crash, followed by Ozzie's excited yapping. Ronin's hand dropped to his sword, then he relaxed and reached up to stroke the head of his nervous humming bird.

"Everything okay dad?" MK called with an eye roll.

The corner of Ronin's mouth almost twitched up into a smile. He remained vaguely suspicious of her father, but most of the time he tolerated him with a sort of dry amusement, which was good, because Bomba was overly enthusiastic when he actually managed to get the chance to talk to them in person.

"I'm fine," Bomba stumbled into the doorway, "Ozzie just missed again…oh!"

He scrambled for his helmet, and MK gave Ronin an apologetic smile. The general only shrugged in return. He didn't seem to be in much of a hurry, and he was surprising tactful at extracting himself if he was.

"General Ronin!" Bomba grinned, "I'm so glad it's you. Nod didn't know the answer last time he was here."

"Dad," MK groaned.

"Didn't know the answer to what?" Ronin looked mildly curious.

"He was wearing a red jacket, and he didn't know what it was dyed with," Bomba crouched down awkwardly so he was somewhat near eye level.

"I have no idea," Ronin shrugged, "I wish he would wait until the leafs change to wear it though."

"That's right!" Bomba exclaimed excitedly, standing to pull out the little notebook he always kept in his pocket for notes, "he said you'll be changing to your fall uniform soon, and there's a winter uniform too. Does it use the same dye as the jacket?"

"We bleach the armor and jerkins for our winter uniforms. We wear the same armor in spring and summer, and its dyed using grass. The autumn armor isn't dyed," Ronin explained patiently, "and Nod should have known that."

"I didn't ask," Bomba scribbled down notes furiously, "does that mean his jacket wasn't dyed?"

"No, that jacket is dyed…"

Mk turned back to the sandwich she had been making, only to spot Nod peering around the peanut butter jar. He was still in his armor and looking vaguely smug. He put a finger to his lips and smiled when he saw her.

"You do know Ronin is looking for you?" she asked softly.

"Well don't tell him I'm here yet," Nod grinned.

"What did you do?" Mk snickered softly, glancing sideways at Ronin, who was still talking to her father.

"Nothing, it's just…" Nod waved his hand vaguely, "never mind. What does he want?"

"Seriously, what did you do?" MK raised an eyebrow.

"Shh," Nod glanced around the jar, but Ronin seemed unaware of them.

"Something about a scouting report," MK shrugged and cut her sandwich in half.

"Oh, the weasels," Nod said dismissively and sat down cross legged behind the peanut butter jar, "I figured he would want to know more about that."

"Weasels?" MK gave him a doubtful look, "are those as bad as mice?"

"Worse," Nod wrinkled his nose, "they're bigger and faster. It looks like the boggan are trying to train them again. Hopefully, they'll just get eaten."

"Well, that's a cheery thought," MK took a bite of her sandwich, "and since when are you a scout?"

"I've always been a scout," Nod shook his head, "Terrance keeps bumping me up to primary scout for our group though."

"Isn't that good, like a promotion?" MK asked.

"No, it just means I have to do paperwork," Nod snorted, "I think Ronin is putting him up to it."

"Why are you hiding from him?" MK took a drink of milk, "you're not fighting again, are you?"

"No, I just need stitches," Nod shook his head, "but I'm waiting until Glory get's off shift to go in."

"You're hurt!" MK set her glass down a little too hard, and some of the milk splashed out.

"Shh!" Nod whispered.

Ronin glanced in their direction, but he couldn't see Nod from where he was, and MK was quick to shove her sandwich in her mouth. He raised an eyebrow at her, but turned his attention back to Bomba. MK had to take another drink of milk before she could talk.

"Nod!" she hissed, voice low.

"I'm fine," Nod insisted, "I'm not bleeding or anything."

"Who's Glory and why can't you get stitched while she's there?" MK demanded.

"She's the head healer. She'll pull me off duty for a full two weeks, and I don't want to be off that long," Nod explained. "If I wait until she's gone, I can probably talk them into letting me back as soon as the stitches are out, and this entire process is much easier when Ronin isn't involved."

"You don't think Ronin already knows?" MK frowned at him.

"He might," Nod shrugged.

"So Ronin might know, but you're hiding from him anyway," MK summarized.

"Stalling, not hiding," Nod clarified. "I live with him. I can't hide."

"I am not comfortable with how casual you're being about this," MK huffed.

"MK, we're soldiers," Nod said patiently, "it happens."

"I still don't…" MK started, but her father's next question stopped her mid-sentence.

"…what happens to the queen when a new queen is chosen?"

MK flinched, but before she could think to say anything, Nod had hopped up onto the lid of the peanut butter jar.

"Hey Ronin!" he called, "MK said you were looking for me."

MK caught the look of utter relief on Ronin's face as he turned towards them, then it was gone. She would have to talk to her father about not asking certain things, and hope he remembered.

"Yeah," Ronin jumped easily from the chair back to the counter and strode towards them, "where have you been?"

"Nim's," Nod sat down on the lid, feet hanging over the edge.

"Happy hour?" MK quipped.

"It's always happy hour at Nim's when you're a Leafman," Nod grinned up at her. "We drink for free, but no, that's not why I was there."

Ronin stopped at the base of the jar and gave Nod a speculative look. Nod only shrugged in return.

"There were weasels," Nod said helpfully.

"I saw that," Ronin replied dryly, "Terrance said you were injured."

Mk giggled, and Nod gave her a sideways glare.

"Yeah," he nodded.

"And?" Ronin prompted.

"And what?" Nod tried to look innocent.

"You haven't been to the healers," Ronin narrowed his eyes.

MK had to admit, if Ronin had looked at her like that, she would have been nervous, but it didn't seem to have any effect on Nod.

"I'm getting there," Nod insisted.

"Yeah, right now," Ronin motioned him down.

"Come on," Nod landed lightly beside him, "I'm fine, and Glory is off in half an hour."

"If I have to deal with Glory, you have to deal with Glory," Ronin cupped the back of his neck and propelled him towards the windowsill where his mount was waiting.

"If you wait half an hour neither of us have to deal with Glory," Nod pointed out, although he didn't put up any resistance.

"Nice try," Ronin let him go and whistled for his mount. "MK, Bomba, goodnight."

"Goodnight," MK waved as they jumped onto the sill.

Nod turned to give her a wink and wave, then they were gone.

* * *

"Nod, what does happen to the queen when a new queen is chosen?"

The next afternoon was sunny, and Nod was lounging moodily on her windowsill, cranky at being taken off duty.

"If everything goes the way it should," MK clarified.

"She passes her powers onto the next queen and steps down," Nod sat up, letting his feet hang over the edge. "She maybe hangs around for a few years to help the new queen learn the ropes, and then she moves on with her life."

"Oh," MK looked away, knowing without asking that moving on for Queen Tara would have meant being with Ronin.

"Queen Marigold asked me to check," Nod looked down at his feet, "she's really young, and she has a lot to learn. She wanted to know if the queen before Tara was still alive. Her name is Calla. She lives in Brambly Hedge on the other side of the forest."

"Wait, the queen asked you and not Ronin?" MK frowned.

"She asked me not to tell him, not yet," Nod fiddled with the sleeve of his jacket, "he'll know if she ends up sending for her, but until then, there's no reason for him to think about the fact that Tara should be the one doing it. I hope she doesn't send for Lady Calla, though. She's doing fine, and then Ronin won't have to think about it at all."

MK considered him for a moment before her lips quirked up in a smile, "If you were taller, I would kiss you."

Nod gave a startled laugh, "if you were shorter, I would let you."

* * *

**Author's note**: So, this one was supposed to be lighter, then Bomba opened his mouth. And yes, this time it is pretty intentional on Nod's part. I said usually unintentional, not always. And yes Nod, that is actually sort of like a promotion.

Also the _Brambly Hedge_ series by Jill Barklam was one of my favorites growing up. The mice from Brambly Hedge would not eat the Jinn. They might invite them to parties though.


	5. Five: Ronin needs dinner

**Five: Ronin needs dinner**

"Do you have any idea what time it is?"

Ronin looked up to see Nod standing in the doorway to his office. He was out of uniform, so he must have been off-duty already. Actually, if the light slanting through his window was any indication, he had been off-duty for a while.

"You can feed yourself," Ronin was unimpressed; Nod cooked about as well as Ronin did, which was to say, he wouldn't starve if left to his own devices.

"There's nothing to eat at home," Nod complained.

"Then go get something," Ronin rubbed the bridge of his nose, wondering if Nod had come all the way down to his office just to aggravate him.

"You never like what I get," Nod shrugged.

"That's because all you get are sweets," Ronin pointed out.

Nod had a voracious sweet tooth, and Ronin suspected if given the opportunity, he would have lived on honey brittle and seed cake. It was why Ronin was usually the one to go to market, although now that he thought about it, he couldn't remember the last time he had gone. Actually, he couldn't remember the last time he ate at home. He couldn't remember the last time he ate, although he must have…

"So, unless that's what you want for dinner, we should head to the market before it closes," Nod said, looking exasperated.

Which was interesting, because he was the one here annoying Ronin. The fall harvesting routes were spread all over his desk, but he supposed he could work out escorts for them in the morning. They still had a few weeks before they would start going out in earnest.

Aside from that, he wasn't eager to have wagashi for dinner.

"Fine," Ronin sighed and pushed away from his desk, "let's go."

* * *

"…dragged four of them down," Nod walked backwards so he could face Ronin as he spoke and munched happily on a skewer of honey dango.

"In the mud?" Ronin absently caught his sleeve, pulling him out of the way of a harried looking vender carrying a tray full of shelled sunflower seeds.

"Yeah," Nod laughed, turning to walk the right way, "they're probably still trying to get it out of their armor."

"What about the hummers?" Ronin stopped at a stand piled high with the first blackberries of the season and picked out the one that looked the ripest.

"Completely covered," Nod wrinkled his nose, "and angry as a kicked hornet."

"Did Orion make the recruits clean them?" Ronin pulled a fruit off the berry to eat as they walked.

"You wouldn't have any recruits left if he had," Nod snorted, "the hummers would have pecked them to pieces."

"So how long did it take to get them clean?" Ronin asked.

"Four hours," Nod laughed, finishing the last of his dango, "and that was with two people working on each bird."

"I'm not sorry I missed that," Ronin smirked and passed the blackberry to Nod now that his hands were empty.

"Orion is spending too much time with you," Nod was almost sidetracked by a candy stand, but Ronin grabbed his arm and tugged him past, "he kept a straight face the entire time."

"I'm sure he won't keep a straight face when he gets around to telling me about it," Ronin picked up a measure of acornmeal and passed that off to Nod as well.

The fuller Nod's hands were, the less likely they were to go home with bags full of sweets.

"We need dried fruit," Nod tucked the meal under his arm, leaving a hand free to pull a fruit off the blackberry and eat it.

Ronin thought about pointing out, again, that Nod could have gotten these things himself, but it was nice to be out of his office and actually spending time with him. He was always busy, and Nod was getting busier. He didn't know it yet, but he was close to being offered a commission to lieutenant second class. His commanding officer had been nudging him into roles with more responsibility for a while now and had both recommended him for the commission and requested he stay with their group once he got it.

"You want cherries and apples?" Ronin stopped in front of the dried fruit stand.

"Strawberries too if they have them," Nod said around a mouth full of blackberry.

Ronin rolled his eyes and got enough diced fruit to last them to the end of the week, if Nod didn't eat it all before then. Actually, the last bag had lasted longer than usual, which meant Nod had been out with his group more and not eating at home. He hadn't been home as often either. He had seen Nod even less.

It begged the question of whether he really needed to work so late, particularly if it meant all he would see of Nod was the back of his head as he stumbled out the door in the morning with a piece of toast in his mouth and still buckling his wrist guards because he had overslept again.

"Here, take this," Nod unceremoniously dumped everything he was carrying into Ronin's arms and abandoned him for the wagashi stand.

"Hey!" Ronin managed to not drop anything or crush what was left of the blackberry.

"What?" Nod looked back at him over his shoulder, clearly laughing at him.

Nod wasn't a child anymore. He didn't need Ronin to hold his hand or make his dinner, but he still wanted him there, and Ronin would be a fool to let that go, especially after everything they had already lost.

"At least get a couple seed cakes," Ronin shot back.

"Got it," Nod laughed.

Four seed cakes and an entire bag of wagashi later, Nod made it back to him. Ronin swapped the bag of sweets for the acornmeal, the dried fruit, the blackberry, and the bread and jam he had picked up while Nod was deliberating over treats.

"Can we have dinner now?" Nod asked, trying to shift things so he wouldn't drop anything.

"Sure," Ronin helped himself to a seed cake, "it's your turn to cook."

"Really?" Nod fell into step beside him, glancing sideways at the sweets he didn't have a free hand to grab. "I thought it was your turn."

"Nope," Ronin grinned, "I'll cook tomorrow."

Nod smiled in return and managed to free a hand to break off a piece of Ronin's seed cake to eat as they walked home.

* * *

**Author's note:** Their armor is based on Japanese designs, so are their weapons and the way the fight and move, especially Ronin, so they get to eat Japanese sweets. Dango are rice dumplings on a stick, wagashi are traditional Japanese sweets made or rice flour and filled with sweet bean paste or fruit. The Jinn probably aren't using rice flour, and I imagine they use fruit as a filling.

If you want to see something really cool, go to google image and type in "traditional Japanese sweets" or "wagashi." You'll be hungry for days and also want to frame them and put them on your wall because they're so pretty.


	6. One: Let's go home

**One: Let's go home**

It snowed the day of Nod's mother's funeral. The flakes fell large and slow, and Nod stood out in it long after the other mourner had left, staring at his parents' graves, side by side in the cold earth.

A part of him had known when his mother had gotten sick that she wouldn't make it through the winter. She had never really recovered from his father's death. Her grief had undone her, and even when she had managed to piece a bit of herself back together, she had been fragile, more a ghost than a person. The queen had tried to heal her, but there was only so much she could do for someone who was mostly gone anyway.

He supposed that should make him sad, but most of him just felt numb. As much as he hated to admit it, even to himself, the part of him that wasn't numb was relieved. It had been hard living with a ghost, and he hoped it was better for her now.

He didn't know where he would go or what he would do. He had grown up wanting to be a Leafman, but he wasn't old enough to enlist yet, and his nearest relative was a two day journey from Moonhaven. He didn't blame his cousin for not coming to the funeral. Travel was hard in winter, and his twins were too young to travel and his wife too far along with their third to leave alone.

Nod was alone now though, and maybe that was better. No ghosts lurking at his back, and no funerals looming up in front of him. Maybe that would be easier, less painful, safer.

His fingers were numb from the cold, and it had seeped through his coat, sinking gradually through the cotton seed lining to settle in his chest. It was better to be numb than to hurt, wasn't it?

Ronin's arm dropped heavy and warm around his shoulders, and Nod unconsciously turned into him, breathed in the familiar smell of sword polish and steel. It was warm tucked against his side, and Nod started to shiver.

"Come on kiddo," Ronin murmured softly into his hair, arm secure around him, "let's go home."

* * *

**Author's note:** I'm working on the assumption that only queens dissolve into sparkly pixie dust when they die. Everyone else needs a place to be laid to rest.

I have to say that even though this chapter was the shortest, it's also my favorite. It was actually the second or third chapter that I wrote. I hope everyone else likes it as much, and thanks to everyone who has taken the time to read this story and to everyone who has reviewed it.


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